Following on from my last post about the lairds of Badenscoth in Aberdeenshire: as I noted, with the marriage of Jane or Jean Gordon, daughter of William Gordon, to James Leslie, in 1761, the estates of Badenscoth and Rothienorman were united.

James had six sons. The eldest, James, was his successor as Laird of Rothie. The second, George, succeeded his brother as laird. A third son, John, died at sea and a fourth, William, died in India without issue. Their fifth son, Jonathan, who was for some time a merchant in Dublin, died without issue at Badenscoth. Robert succeeded as fifth Laird of Rothie. There were also three Leslie daughters: Margaret, Grace and Catherine, all of whom died unmarried.

Robert Leslie was Laird when George Robb (1804-1880), son of the James Robb who was brother to my 3 x great grandfather Charles, was a farmer and innkeeper in Fisherford. I’m grateful to John Brechin for sending me an advertisement from the Aberdeen Journal of March 1860 in which a number of farmers express their thanks to Robert Leslie for allowing markets on his estates, at Badenscoth and Rothie. They proposed to pay for Leslie’s portrait to be painted, but he appears to have declined their offer. George Robb of Fisherford is among those listed.

When Robert Leslie died in 1861 his property passed to his cousin Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Forbes of 78th Highlanders, youngest son of John Forbes of Blackford. He assumed the name, and also the arms of the Leslies.